HARVEY MASON A legendary, multi-GRAMMY® nominated session drummer, producer, composer & recording artist.

HARVEY MASON

A LEGENDARY, MULTI-GRAMMY® NOMINATED SESSION DRUMMER, PRODUCER, COMPOSER & RECORDING ARTIST.

Defining the Beat of a Generation

Beyond the Beat: Harvey Mason's Musical Odyssey

The untold story of a drummer who changed the sound of modern music.

For over three decades, Harvey Mason has shaped the sound of modern music with an uncompromising pursuit of excellence. A master drummer and visionary artist, Mason’s influence spans genres—jazz, pop, rock, orchestral, R&B, hip-hop, world, and Latin—leaving an indelible mark on every stage he graces and every studio he enters.

His journey began in the late ’60s, performing alongside jazz greats like Duke Ellington and Erroll Garner, where his distinctive technique and intuitive sensitivity first caught the world’s attention. Mason soon became a driving force behind the revolutionary sounds of Herbie Hancock and The Headhunters, pushing the boundaries of jazz-fusion and redefining what rhythm could do.

With 1 Grammy Win (Produced), 10 Grammy nominations, 150 motion pictures, 21 Academy Award performances, and a legacy of collaborations that reads like a who’s who of music history, Harvey Mason remains one of the most recorded and respected drummers of our time. This documentary captures the story of a legend still in motion—innovating, inspiring, and influencing the future of music.

VIEW MORE

Education

1960 Degree
Music Studies Berkley
1960 Degree
Vic Firth New England Conservatory
2015 Doctorate
Music Achievements Honorary Doctorate - Berkley

Awards

2012 //
Best? Grammy
2014 //
Best Grammy-Nom
Dates? American
150 Motion Pictures Academy Awards, USA
Dates ? Drummer
21 Performances Academy Awards
  1. 1974
  2. 1979
  3. 1989
  4. 1991
  5. 1994
  6. 1998

  1. “Higga-Boom”

    Harvey Mason composed and played on this 1974 hit from Harris’ Blue Note album, Astral Signal. CashBox magazine wrote that the single “just has to be a disco hit,” and praised its “very solid undercurrent of bass and drums.” The latter, of course, was provided by Harvey Mason.

  2. “Light My Fire”

    In an era of epic sessions, this 1979 cover of The Doors’ signature song is one for the books: Hubert Laws, Jeremy Lubbock, Marlo Henderson, Abraham Laboriel, Randy Waldman, and Harvey Mason came together on the song that would close Minnie Riperton’s final studio album. Billboard praised the track’s “superlative rhythm bed.”

  3. "Makin’ Whoopee"

    In 1989, Harvey Mason contributed to three tracks on Dr. John’s In a Sentimental Mood, including this Grammy-winning collaboration with Rickie Lee Jones, a cover of a classic jazz composition. Mason told Jazz London Radio, “Jazz is highly creative. It frees the soul. When I play jazz, I think of nothing else; it’s relevant, it lights up my mind.”

  4. "What Will I tell My Heart"

    Williams’ cover of this Dinah Washington classic on her 1991 album The Comfort Zone brought Harvey Mason together with his long-time session mates Stanley Clarke, Pete Christlieb, and Randy Waldman. The Comfort Zone earned five Grammy nominations and was certified triple platinum.

  5. "Nocturnal Sunshine"

    Recorded in 1994 for the Red Hot Organization’s Stolen Moments: Red, Hot + Cool compilation intended to raise awareness of the impact AIDS was having in the African American community, Meshell Ndegeocello joined with Harvey Mason, who locks down the groove, with Herbie Hancock, Wah Wah Watson, Luis Conte, and Scritti Politti’s David Gamson.

  6. "Mr. Funk"

    With appearances on the album by a.o. Jaco Pastorius, Ernie Watts, Bernie Maupin and Harvey Mason, “Mr. Funk” is a collection of Columbia recordings opening with the Head Hunters version of “Watermelon Man” and closing with the 1983’s crossover million selling hit “Rock It” from the album “Future Shock”.

"When I play jazz, I think
of nothing else; it's relevant,
it lights up my mind."

— Harvey Mason